The present invention relates in general to gas burner designs for use as part of a residential vented or vent-free fireplace. More specifically, the present invention relates to gas burner designs of a pan or shell style where the focus is on the construction simplicity and efficiency. In the present invention, the focus is also on the versatility and the fabrication method which permits a wide range of size variations without any significant changes in the fabrication tooling. Accordingly, the method of manufacturing the present invention gas burner and the required tooling for such manufacturing are important considerations.
Traditionally, the burners for gas fireplaces, usually residential, have been of the "tube-type" design. More recently, newer gas burners have been produced in a pan style which may also equivalently be referred to as a shell style. The pan or shell style of gas burner, as contrasted to a tube-type burner, offers greater versatility in the form, size, and positioning of the gas ports. The pan style of gas burner can be combined with a fiber ceramic log set in order to produce the desired aesthetic effects.
Considering earlier pan style gas burners, the typical construction involves utilizing a plurality of sheet metal members or components. In contrast, the present invention incorporates a one-piece shell for a pan style gas burner. A novel and unobvious manufacturing method is used to produce the gas burner of the present invention. The one-piece shell can be produced at a reduced cost relative to multiple-piece shells and this enables greater manufacturing flexibility. In the context of the present invention, the one-piece construction is for the pan of the gas burner. A separate component piece is required for the gas inlet tube which is fitted into one side or one sheet metal panel of the one-piece pan in order to deliver gas to the hollow interior and from there to the gas ports which are located in another, opposite side or sheet metal panel of the pan.